Ryan Wood’s KU football notebook

Jayhawks get kicker: Kansas University secured an oral commitment from Stephen Hoge, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound kicker out of Oklahoma City.

With kicker Scott Webb and punter Kyle Tucker both slated to be seniors in 2007, recruiting a possible replacement for both became necessary. And Hoge could cover both.

Hoge is rated by Rivals.com as the 13th-best kicker in this class, but he also doubles as a college-caliber punter.

Having a player who could serve as both is valuable because it ultimately could open up another spot on the travel squad. KU had the luxury the last two years, as Dane Broadie served as the backup to both Webb and Tucker.

Hoge had an offer from Western Michigan and interest from Michigan State, Colorado State and Southern Mississippi, according to Rivals.

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Cornish to play: Jon Cornish will play his final game as a college player today, when he will suit up in the East-West Shrine Game. The game will start at 6 p.m. from Houston and be televised on ESPN2. Cornish, wearing No. 29 on the West squad, is expected to get a lot of touches. His teammates at running back are Iowa State's Stevie Hicks, Texas' Selvin Young and Houston's Jackie Battle.

The game, like many all-star games, serves as an opportunity to impress professional scouts, but a bulk of that work is done. Cornish has been in Houston all week practicing in front of dozens of NFL personnel. Being a native Canadian, Cornish already has been drafted to the CFL as well.